Latest edition offers café atmosphere experience

Delta Digital News Service

By Emma Allen | Aspiring Journalist

JONESBORO, Ark. – Shadrachs Coffee recently opened a new location in the heart of downtown Jonesboro. Unlike the drive-thru only business model, the latest venue on located on Union Street allows customers to come in and sit down.  However, customers won’t be above, but below, as the new location is underground.

Although there are multiple Shadrachs Coffees around the Jonesboro area, this is the first to have open seating on the inside.  Known as a drive-thru only for coffee drinkers on the go, the new location features Southern Confections baked goods you can purchase along with your brew.

Kelli Vining, manager of the Shadrachs Coffee Underground, has been with the company for seven years. Vining is the former manager of the company’s Nettleton location. 

Vining  believes the latest sit-down underground edition received encouragement from the owners of the downtown building.

“The owners of this building, Little & Associates, they really wanted to bring something local downtown, to kind of help build up downtown a little bit more,” she said.  “When they offered us the opportunity to build down here, we just jumped on that thinking how often has the Jonesboro community asked for a sit-down style Shadrachs?”

Widely popular with local residents, Shadrachs is typically busy with college students from Arkansas State University.

Barista Hannah Cox has worked at multiple locations for the company.

“What I love about working at Shadrachs, especially here at the underground location is it’s a lot slower pace than a kiosk. So you actually get to interact with the customers,” Cox said.

“We actually get to form relationships with our regulars and we get to see all kinds of new people come in, college students, businessmen, lawyers downtown, the judges and police officers,” she said.

Cox has embraced the opportunity with the new location to bond with customers.

“It’s been really awesome to get to know some of our customers on a more personal level,” Cox said.

Shadrachs Underground is open Monday – Friday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.  and on Saturdays 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Note: Images courtesy of Shadrachs Coffee